Water heater



y 1934- J. E. RUSSELL 15 WATER HEATER Filed Feb. 21. 1933 G i 3 N e Inventor a azzaeafi 5 22 v /I Home y Patented May 3, 1934 '7 Claims.

lt'ly invention relates generally to means for heating water to provide hot water especially for commercial use, and particularly to a hot water heater employing steam as the heating agent.

It is an important object or" my invention to provide a water heater of the type described which excels in point of ease and low cost of manufaoture.

It also an important object of my invention to provide a water heater of the type described above which is simpl r in construction and therefore more easily and conveniently maintained and repaired, than presently used types of hot water heaters, such as hot water heaters employing steam coils.

These and other objects of the invention, will be readily apparent from a reading of the following description in connection with the drawing,

wherein for purposes of illustration I have shown a preferred embodiment of my invention.

In the drawing:-

The figure is a vertical longitudinal sectional view through an embodiment of my invention.

Referring in detail to the drawing, the numeral 5 refers generally to a cold water supply pipe having the gate valve 6 and the check valve '7. The cold water supply pipe 5 is connected, beyond the check valve 7, to and in communication with the lower part of the heating chamber 8.

The heating chamber 8 comprises a vertical hollow cylinder having the closed bottom 9 and the flanged top 10 which is closed by a removable cover 11 secured by bolts 12 traversing the flange of the upper nd of the cylinder 8. Suitably mounted in vertical manner through the central portion 01 the top 11 is a vertical steam supply pipe 13 which has on its lower end within the cylinder 8 and below the top 11 an inverted U-shaped discharge member 14.

The inverted U-shaped discharge member 14 is in the form of a U-shaped pipe the ends of whose legs are closed, and whose sides are formed with perforations 15 for discharging steam.

Projecting laterally from one side of the steam discharge member 14: is a small auxiliary steam discharge pipe 16 whose open lower end is located near and just above the mouth of the cold water inlet pipe 5 where it enters the cylinder 8, as indicated at 17.

Surrounding the legs or" the steam discharge member 14 and spaced therefrom is an open topped imperforate barrel 18, over the upper end or" which reaches the lateral portion 19 of the auxiliary steam discharge pipe 16. The legs of the steam discharge member i l do not quite reach the lower end of the barrel 18.

Supporting the barrel 18 and communicated with the lower end thereof is a bowl 28 having the lateral reduced neck 21 with which is connected a hot water discharge pipe 22 which passes through the lower part of the heating chamber 8 at a point approximately diametrically opposite the point of entrance of the cold water supply pipe.

The hot Water discharge pipe 22 may be led directly to the point at which the hot water is to be utilized, or it may be connected by means of a suitable coupling 23 to a second heating chamber So by means of a pipe 24 which enters the chamber 8a in the same relationship as the cold water inlet pipe in the case of the heating chamber 8.

The balance of the structure and arrangement of the parts composing the heating chamber 8a are similar to those obtaining in the case of the heating chamber 8, with the exception that no auxiliary steam discharge pipe 16 is provided for the steam discharge member 14a.

It is to be understood that a single heating chamber 8 is adequate to supply hot water in quantity suhicient for commercial use, such as in a commercial laundry. I have found that the coupling of two or more of the heating chambers together in the manner suggested in the case of the heating chambers 8 and 8a will supply more efficiently a greater amount of hot water, and accordingly I do not limit the invention to the provision of only one or only two of the heating chambers.

The passage of cold water from the supply pipe is permitted by the check valve '7. As the cold water enters the lower part of the heating chamber 8, a jet of steam from the lower end of the auxiliary steam discharge pipe 16 strikes and breaks up the water, which then rises and enters and flows downwardly in the barrel 18 where it is penetrated by the steam issuing from the periorations 15 in the legs of the steam discharge member 14, so as to be thoroughly and quickly heated. The heated water passes downwardly in the barrel 18, through the bowl 220 and through the hot water discharge pipe 22, either to the point of use of the hot water, or to the pipe 24 to be circulated again through the heating chamber 8a, where it is re-heated and brought to a higher temperature. A second hot water discharge pipe 25 leads from the heating chamber 8a in a position corresponding to the hot water discharge pipe 22 in the case of the heating cham- CTR her 8, and the hot water discharge pipe 25 is provided with a suitable gate valve 26.

It is believed that there is enunciated herein for the first time the principle of utilizing an application of live steam directly into water to be heated for the purposes set out. I am aware that injection of steam directly into liquid fluid or fluids for heating the liquids or fiuids is common indifi'erent arts, but it is thought that this principle is employed for the first time in hot water heaters for supplying commercial operations such as laundries with hot water.

Although I have shown and described herein a preferred embodiment of my invention, it is to be definitely understood that I do not desire to limit the application of the invention thereto, and any change or changes may be made in material and structure and arrangement of parts, within the spirit of the invention and the scope of the subjoined claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In a water heater, a closed chamber, inlet means for introducing cold water into the chamber, steam inlet means for introducing steam into the chamber, a portion of the steam inlet means comprising a perforated steam discharge tube, mixed steam and water outlet means for discharging mixed steam and water from the chamber, a portion of the mixed steam and water outlet means comprising a wall surrounding and spaced from the perforated steam discharge tube to receive and assist mixture of the steam and water, a second portion of the last-mentioned outlet means comprising a conduit fed by the first portion and leading from the chamber.

2. In a water heater including a closed container, cold water inlet means, steam introducing means having a perforated portion and a second portion, said second portion being arranged to impinge steam upon the cold water as it enters the container to preheat the cold water prior to reaching the first portion of the steam introducing means, a chamber within the container and surrounding a major portion of said perforated portion of the steam introducing means for confining preheated water so as to be thoroughly permeated by steam issuing from said perforated portion, and a conduit fed by the chamber for discharging mixed water and steam from the container.

3. A water heater comprising a closed container, a cold water inlet entering the container adjacent one end of the container, a heated water outlet at the same end of the container and shielded from the cold water inlet, a portion of the heated water outlet extending toward and to a point alfiacent the opposite end of the container, steam inlet means entering said opposite end of the container and passing into the said portion of the heated water outlet means adjacent said opposite end of the container, a portion of the steam inlet means within the said portion of the heated water outlet means being perforated to discharge into and mix the steam with water in the said portion of the heated water outlet means.

4. A water heater comprising a vertical closed container, a cold water inlet entering one side of the container near the lower end of the container, a steam inlet entering the top of the container and depending within the container and provided with perforations for discharging steam, a vertical barrel within the container and spacedly surrounding the steam inlet, said barrel having an open top to receive Water into the barrel, the lower end of the barrel being provided with means for conveying the mixed steam and Water from the barrel to the exterior of the container.

5. A Water heater comprising a vertical closed container, a cold water inlet entering one side of the container near the lower end of the container, a steam inlet entering the top of the container and depending within the container and provided with perforations for discharging steam, a vertical barrel Within the container and spacedly surrounding the steam inlet, said barrel having an open top to receive water into the barrel, the lower end of the barrel being provided with means for conveying the mixed steam and water from the barrel to the exterior of the container, said steam inlet being inverted U-shaped.

6. A water heater comprising a closed container, a cold water inlet in one side of said container, a hot water outlet in another side of said container, steam inlet means in said container having a perforated portion, a tubular member surrounding and spaced from said perforated portion and emptying into said hot water outlet, and an auxiliary member on said steam inlet means for discharging steam directly into the cold Water as it enters said container by said cold water inlet for preheating the same.

7. A water heater comprising a closed con tainer, a cold water inlet in one side of said container, a hot water outlet in another side of said container, steam inlet means in said container having a perforated portion, a tubular member surrounding and spaced from said perforated portion and emptying into said hot water outlet, and an auxiliary member on said steam inlet means for discharging steam directly into the cold water as it enters said container by said cold Water inlet for preheating the same, said cold water inlet and said hot water outlet traversing the sides of the container at diametrically opposed points.

' JAMES E. RUSSELL. 

